Why do most skaters spin and jump counterclockwise?
Most people have a more or less strong innate preference for rotating counterclockwise. This is because a counterclockwise rotation tends to be controlled predominantly by the right shoulder, which is the dominant one for a majority of people (although it is not true that all right handed people prefer to turn counterclockwise!). In addition, most rinks impose a counterclockwise direction of travel in public sessions, which may reverse an initial predilection for turning in the other direction. Some beginner skaters seem not to have a strong natural direction preference and are able to master some of the basic jumps in both directions, but their instructors push them to settle on one side or the other before moving on to more advanced skills. Part of the reason for this is that spins are used as stepping stones to jumps. The back spin in particular is used as a preliminary to the loop, which is in turn used as a preliminary to the Axel. Ultimately, rotation for all jumps is the same an
